Strip sharpening machine



Nov. l0, 1959 C. DELAFONTAINE Y STRIP SHARPENING MACHINE Original FiledMarch 12, 195i 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

5 E Mw w u m r N r m n fw 5 6v. HB

NOV- -10, 1959 l C. DELAFoNTAlNE 2,911,762

STRIP SHARPENING MACHINE Originall Filed March 12. 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2S Y 'n .zii Q om g i. a" f g Q .N I w "Q wg! u I, i; NQ.

*Ng I G 1E IN V EN TOR. CHHRL E 5 DEL FONTAINE www Nov. 10, 1959 c.DELAFONTAINE 2,911,762

STRIP SHARPENING MACHINE original Filed aaron 12. 1951' 5 sheets-sheet sNov. 10, 1959 c. DELAFoNTAlNl-z 2,911,762

STRIP SHARPENING MACHINE Original Filed March l2, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 4Nov. 10, 1959 C. DELAFONTAINE s STRIP SHARPENING MACHINE original. FiledMarch 12, 1951 v 5 sheets-sheet 5 75" w54 .5.. `55A. 552 ,562 Y 555E360v 50 56|- EG. 4f.

aos 57a 575 l FSI ME 405 407 l .L G

III 50 lin l, Inj-i 2-"/// h'. i 5104 1||||||||IZIIII'IIIIIIII,IUIIHHIHII\IHIII||||||MMIIIllllllmlllllllllil 57| 58\579/ "f 57o im 579 zfsl" T kruim 6 \\\\',\\u||w/l 6 555 United ratesatent O STRIP SHARPENING MACHINE Charles Delafontaine, North Hollywood,Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Bank of America Trust andSavings Association, Los Angeles, Calif., a national banking corporationof the United States of America Original application March 12, 1951,Serial No. 215,127,

now Patent No. 2,709,874, dated June 7, 1955. Divided and thisapplication May 2, 1955, Serial No. 505,343

3 Claims. (Cl. 51-87) This invention relates to a machine for sharpeningthe edges of strips of metal, and has particular reference to a machinefor continuously grinding, honing and stropping metal strips to be usedfor safety razor blades.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No.215,127 filed in the United States Patent Ofce on March 12, 1951, nowPatent No. 2,709,874, dated June 7, 1955.

One. of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a novelmachine for continuously sharpening an edge or edges of thin metalstrips to a high degree of ineness.

In United States Letters Patent No. 2,492,292 and No. 2,492,293, issuedDecember 27, 1949, to George Douglas Jones, et al., and to GeorgeDouglas Jones, respectively, are disclosed various formsof razorsemploying a ribbon-type blade, that is, a blade of considerable lengthwhich is unspooled from a magazine to present successive unused portionsas desired. This so-called ribbon blade presents sharpening problemsunique in the industry. Accordingly, it is animportant object of myinvention to provide a machine for sharpening strips of metal to be usedas ribbon-type razor blades.

One of the diiculties encountered inthe production of ribbon-type razorblades is the inspection of the steel strips after sharpening. In theproduction of conventional safety razor blades, inspection of thesharpened blades is relatively simple, since the strip, aftersharpening, is cut into the individual blades which may then beinspected individually without interference with the sharpeningoperation, and the faulty blades discarded. Finished ribbon-type bladesof the character described are approximately forty inches in length, asopposed to the approximate one and one-half inch length of theconventional razor blades, and to reserve the inspection of these longblades until they have been cut to the desired length would require therejection of an entire blade Where perhaps only a very short length ofthe same is defective. When the relatively high cost of the specialsteel required for these blades is considered, it will be understoodthat inspection in the manner described would be a wasteful andexpensive process. Another object of my invention is, then, to provide asharpening'ma.- chine having novel means for selective inspection -ofthe strip as it is being sharpened.

Other objects and advantages of this invention it is believed will beapparent from the following detailed description of a preferredembodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawings:

Figures la, 1b and 1c are top plan views of a sharpening machineembodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of that portion of the machine illustratedin Figure lc.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation taken substantially en the line 3-3 ofFigure 2 and is partially broken away for clarity of illustration.

ICC

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on the line 4-4 ofFigure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevational taken substantially on the line 55of Figure 2.

Figure 6 isla sectional elevation taken substantially on the line 6-6 ofFigure 5.

Referring now to the drawings, the general arrangement of the machine asshown in Figures la, 1b and lc -Will be briefly described. A coil ofthin strip steel 30 is mounted on a supply reel 31 and the strip is fedthrough a grinding station generally indicated 32, a rough hone "station33, a finish hone station 34, thence through a cleaner unit 35, and thenthrough the stropping station 36. The strip 30 is then led through thepull-out station generally indicated 37, from whence it is formed into aloop 38 and led through the linal inspection station 39. The

strip passes through intermittent drive unit 40, is formed into a secondloop 41, and then led through constant drive unit 42 where the finishedsharpened strip is coiled on a take-up reel 43.

The various units forming the respective stations are mounted on a basegenerally indicated 44 which includes a pair of tubular rail members 45extending substantially the entire length of the machine. The reel 31,which may include `a circular steel plate 46 having a central hub 46a,is journaled on a shaft 47 which is in turn supported on an arm 48mounted on the base 44. Mounted adjacent the reel 31 on the arm 48 is acenter guide ymeinber 49 through which the strip 30 is passed, the guidemember serving to align the strip centrally of the machine. The guidemember 49 maybe pivotally connected to the arrn 48 as at 50 to providefor adjustment thereof.

The grinding station 32 includes a pair of opposed parallel grindingrolls 51 and 52 each having stub shafts 53 and 54 respectively at eitherend journaled in bearing blocks 55 and 56. The bearing blocks 55 and 56are secured to the blocks 58 and 59 which are in turn slidably supportedat an angle on the base members 60 for adjustment of the grindingmembers with respect to the strip by manipulation of the wheels 61 and62. This adjustment mounting is substantially identical with thatprovided for the honing stations and will be described with moreparticularity below. The grinding rolls `51 and 52 each includes aplurality of grinding wheels 63 and 64 of conventional design, thewheels on one ofthe grind-v ing members being staggered with respect toand interlocked with the wheels on the other member.V The grinding rollsrotate downwardly (in the direction of the arrows in Figure 4) withrespect to the vertical strip 30 to grind the upper edge thereof and aredriven by means of V-belt drives 65 and 66 from a motor 67 and a motor68. The strip 30 as it passes between the grinding wheels 63 and 64 islmaintained in the proper vertical position by means of hold-down rolls69, one pair of rolls being on either side of the grinding rolls.

The ground strip proceeds from the above described measuring station tothe rough hone station 33 which includes a pair of opposed parallelhoning rolls 93 and 94 disposed `longitudinally in the direction of thestrip. These rolls are of the helical or worm type and rotate downwardlyagainst the upper edge of the strip 30 so that their operating surfacesadvance towards the ground edge of the strip. The rolls 93 and 94 arecarried on shafts 95 and 96 respectively which are journaled in suitablebearings on the arms 97 and 98. These arms are secured to block members99 and 100 which are slidably mounted on base members 101 and 102. Thebase members are secured to the Vframe 103 which is mounted on the rails45. f

The strip 30 moves from the rough hone station to the optical sizer orcomparator generally indicated 200 3. where the width of the blade ischecked to determine if the honing rolls 93 and 94. are properly set.

From the optical sizer the strip 30 proceeds to the finish hone stationv34; Thiszstation is? substantially identical with the rough hone stationpreviously described with the exception that the honing rolls are finerthan those used at the rough hone station. As shown, the grinding rollsand transmission gears: are provided with cover members 218 and 219respectively.

The strip is continuously pulled from the finish hone station to thecleaner unit 35 where coolant which adheres to the strip is removed fromthe sharpened strip.

The cleaned blade is givena nal polish at the stropping station 36 whichis generally similar tothe grinding` station previously described, withthe exception that the stropping rolls 245 and 246v are of a. materialsuch as leather and. rotate in the opposite direction.

The pull-out station 37 is provided with.rolls for con tinuouslypulling'the strip throughthe respective stations.

described above'. As shownv in Figures 1c, 2 and 3, this stationincludes a base member 295 secured to the rails 45` and carrying asupport frame 296. Mounted on the frame is a pair of pull-out rolls 297and 298' cooperating with a central pull-out roll 299 Which issecured toa shaft 300 journaled in bearings301. in the frame. The shaft isconnected by meansof. coupler member 302 to the drive shaft 303 of thevariable speed motor generally indicated at 304. The motor. is mountedon auxiliary rails 305 secured to the base 44 at one end and supportedat the other end by a jack member. 306. A driving gear 307 is keyed tothe shaft 300 beneath the pull-out roll 299'and is engaged with gear 308on the roll 297 and gear 311 on roll 298 to drive the same in thedirection of the arrows in Figure 3. As shown, the strip 30 is passedthrough the bite between rolls 297 and 299 and then around the roll 299and through the bite between therolls 299 and 298. A semi-circular guideplate 310 is mounted on the frame and directs the strip around the roll298 and forwardly therefrom to form the loop 38.

The rolls 297 and 298 are pivotally mounted with respect to the frame.The roll 297 is journaled on a pin 312 extending vertically upwardlyfrom an arm 313 which is pivotally connected at one end to the frame bymeans of a pin 314. At the other end of the ann 313 a link 315 ispivotally connected by means of a pin 316. A tab 317 is securedcentrally of the frame and adapted to underlie the link 315 as shown inFigure 3. The link is provided with a downwardly extending arm 318through which is passed a screw member 319, the end of which bearsagainst the tab 317, It will be understood from this description thatthe roll 297 may be disengaged from the strip by loosening the screwmember 319 and` swinging the link 315 to the right While simultaneouslypivoting the arm 313 in a counterclockwise direction as seen in Figure3. The roll 297 may be forced against the strip and roll 299 by turningthe screw member 319 in a direction to move the arm 318Yaway from thetab 317. The pivotal mounting of the roll 298 is similar to thatdescribed above,- with the exception that the arm 320 which carries therolll and which is pivotally mounted at one end to the frame by means ofa pin-321 is provided with a tab 309 at the other end. The link 322which corresponds to the link'- 315 is inverted in effect and ispivotally connected to the frame by means of bracket 323 and pin 324.

As pointed out above, asithe strip 30 proceeds from the pull-out stationit is formed into a loop 38. The loop is .supported by a table 330 whichis mounted on a leg 331 secured to the frame 296.y The pair of holddownrolls 69d act as friction brake means in maintaining the loop in theproper position. The loop functions as a supply medium for thentermittentdn've unit 40 (described more fully below) which serves topresent successive portions of the stripto the ual inspection station39, By means of this loop it will be understood that the portion of thestrip between the supply reel 31 and the pull-out station 37 may becontinuously in motion while that portion of the strip between thepull-out station 37 and the intermittent drive unit 40 may moveintermittently with a dwell of suthcientA length of time to permit thes'liarpeed edge of a portion of the strip to be inspected at theinspection station 39.

The inspection station 39 consists of two identical visual inspectionunits 335 and'336, one on each side of the strip, and therefore only onewill be described in detail. The units 335 and 336 are secured to a basemember 337 mounted on the rails 45, the base member having a centralsupport post 350 extending upwardly therefrom, as shown best in Figure24.

Mounted on the post 350 is a strip guide block 351 having the usualhardened steel insert352', a pair of holddown rolls 69 being provided ateither end of the block. The inspection unit 335l includes a microscope353 mounted atan angle from the horizontal as shown, with the objective354 directed at the sharpened edge of the blade. The microscope isprovided with focusing wheels 355 and has an upwardly inclined eye piece358. A cross bar 359 is secured to the rod 350 and carries a lightsource 360 which is directed horizontally at the sharpened edge of thestrip. At the other end of the cross bar is supported a housing 361having a ground glass face 362 and containing a bulb 363 or othersuitable light source, the groundglass forming a background for thestrip edge. Mounted above the housing is a light source 364 directedsubstantially downwardly onto the sharpened edge of the strip'. Controlboxes 365 and 366 are mounted on the rails adjacent the respectiveinspection units and are provided with switches 367 for the variouslight sources.

The intermittent drive unit 40 includes a driving roll 376 and a drivenroll 376 mounted on shafts 377 and 378 respectively. The shaft 377 isjoumaled in suitable bearings 379 on the frame 380. A bevel gear 390 iscarried on the lower end ofthe shaft 377 and cooperates with themutilated gear 391 to intermittently turn the shaft 377 and drive roll375. The gear segment 391 is mounted on a drive shaft 392, which shaftis coupled with an intermediate shaft 393 by means of a universal joint394 (see Figure 2). The shaft 393 is coupled by means of thev universaljoint 395l to a stub shaft 396 which is journaled in the frame 296'. Abevel gear 397 is carried on the end of the stub shaft and in engagementwith a bevel gear 398A on the shaft 300 for rotation of the muti latedgear 391 in the direction of the arrow in Figure 5. A gear 370 ismounted on the shaft 377 and engaged with aV gear 371 on the shaft 378to drive'the same.

Lock means are provided for preventing coasting of the shaft 377 upondisengagement of the bevel gear 390 from the gear segment 391, and asshown in the drawings this means may include the segmental ring 399mounted about the periphery of the gear segment 391. This Vringcooperates with a lock member 400 secured to the shaft 377. The lockmember 400 has a Hat end surface 401 which rides on the sui-face 402 ofthe ring, preventing rotation of the shaft while the bevel gear 390 isdisengaged from the gear segment, the ringbeing provided with a gapadjacent thetoothed portion 403 of the mutilated gear to provideclearance for the. lock member while the gears are engaged. Therelationship between the teeth of the bevel gear 390 and the mutilatedgear 391 is such that upon disengagement thereof, the flat end surface401 is in a position to engage the ring 399. Means are provided tocushion the action of the lock member 400 as it initiallycontactsthering 399, and as shown in Figure 5, this means may includethe friction brake 404 on the shaft 377.

The driven roll 376 is pivotally mounted with respect to the frame muchin the Vsame manner as the pull-out rolls 297 and `298, beingprovided'with an arm 405 pivot S ally connected to the frame at one endand having an adjusting link 406 pivotally connected to the other end,which link has an adjusting screw 407 engageable With a tab 408 on theframe. The sharpened and inspected strip is pushed from the intermittentdrive rolls into a small loop 41 which leads to the constant drive rolls42.

This unit 42 includes a driving roll 416 and a driven roll 417 which aregenerally similar to the intermittent drive rolls previously described.Here, however, the driven roll, which is mounted on drive shaft 418, isdriven at a constant speed by a stub shaft 419 which carries a bevelgear 420 engageable with a gear 421 on the shaft 418. The stub shaft 419is journaled in the frame 422 and is connected to the shaft 392 by meansof a universal joint 423. It will be understood that by means of thisdrive connection the constant speed rolls are driven at exactly the samespeed as are driven the pull-out rolls 297 and 298. Therefore, with theabove-described arrangement of constant speed pull-out rolls 297 and298, loop 38, intermittent drive rolls 375 and 376, loop 41 and constantdrive rolls 416 and 417, I have provided means for feeding a stripcontinuously into one end of the machine and out of the other end of themachine at the same speed, |while causing the strip to intermittentlydwell at a point intermediate the two ends.

A switch box 450 is mounted on the base 44 from which the conduit 451leads to the various electrical motors previously described. The box isprovided with switch buttons 452 for controlling the operation of thevarious elements of the machine.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I donot wish to be limited to the details herein set forth, but my inventionis of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a strip sharpening machine, the combination of a frame; aplurality of sharpening wheels mounted for rotation on said frame, powermeans for rotating said wheels, means for continuously pulling a stripto be sharpened across the wheels, means forming a loop in the stripafter the same has been sharpened; and means for intermittently feedingthe strip from said loop whereby successive stationary portions of thesharpened strip may be inspected, said last-mentioned means including adriving roll and a driven roll mounted on said frame to form a bitetherebetween through which the strip may be passed, and means forintermittently rotating said driving roll in a direction to pull thestrip through the bite.

2. In a strip sharpening machine, a frame, a first shaft journaled forrotation in said frame, a first gear carried on'said shaft, a secondshaft journaled for rotation in said frame, a mutilated gear carried onsaid second shaft and engageable with the first gear to intermittentlydrive the first shaft, a segmental ring mounted adjacent the peripheryof the mutilated gear, the ring having a gap adjacent the toothedportion of the mutilated gear, a locking member carried on said firstshaft adapted to contact said ring upon disengagement of the gears tolock the first shaft against rotation, the gap providing clearance forsaid locking member when the gears are engaged, and a friction brake onsaid first shaft adapted to cushion the impact of the looking member asit contacts the ring.

3. In a strip sharpening machine, the combination of a frame; aplurality of sharpening wheels mounted for rotation on said frame, powermeans for rotating said wheels, means for continuously pulling a stripto be sharpened across the wheels, means forming a loop in the stripafter the same has been sharpened; and means for intermittently feedingthe strip from said loop whereby successive stationary portions of thesharpened strip may be inspected, said last-mentioned means including adriving roll and a driven roll mounted on said frame to form a bitetherebetween through which the strip may be passed, and means forintermittently rotating said driving roll in a direction to pull thestrip through the bite, said intermittent rotation means comprising afirst shaft journaled for rotation in said frame and carrying saiddriving roll, a first gear carried on said shaft, a second shaftjournaled for rotation in said frame, a mutilated gear carried on saidsecond shaft and engageable with the first gear to intermittently drivethe first shaft, a segmented ring mounted adjacent the periphery of themutilated gear, the ring having a gap adjacent the toothed portion ofthe mutilated gear, a locking member carried on said first shaft adaptedto contact said ring upon disengagement of the gears to lock the firstshafty against rotation, the gap providing clearance for said lockingmember when the gears are engaged, and a friction brake on said firstshaft adapted to cushion the impact of the locking member as it contactsthe ring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,902,022 Gaisman Mar. 2l, 1933 1,937,326 Pick NOV. 28, 1933 1,937,795Sheehan Dec. 5, 1933 2,218,674 Eaton Oct. 22, 1940 2,254,766 AndrenSept. 2, 1941 2,353,683 Martines July 18, 1944 2,635,399 West Apr. 2l,1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 616,114 Great Britain Ian. 17, 1949

